A couple of chapters before this, Reuben was portrayed in a terrible light when he committed an abomination by sleeping with his father’s wife. In our text, we see him as the initial agent to save Joseph from premature death. In Reuben, we find the presence of two diametrically opposed forces within the same person. He had a force that was evil, and another that tended to goodness. This is typical of all human beings. We all have both forces resident inside of us. What is acted out is a function of the one we yield to. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Romans 6:16 NKJV
That someone did evil in the past does not mean he cannot be of positive influence today or in the future. People can turn their lives around…The secret of good work is continuous consecration to God.
Reuben’s action teaches us another lesson. That someone did evil in the past does not mean he cannot be of positive influence today or in the future. People can turn their lives around. Again, that someone did good yesterday does not mean he cannot turn around and do what is evil today. People can suffer fatigue. If a believer stops Christian fellowship and ministry, stops studying the Bible and prayer, in no time you will trace to him some of the most heinous crimes known to man. The secret of good work is continuous consecration to God.
